Alison Guerrero

Professor Muir
ART 1010
March 8, 2016
Leonardo da Vinci
A lot of people who first think of Da Vinci think of a serious painter. After doing some
research, I have come to find out that he actually had a brilliant sense of humor. You can see
signs of it in his art more than anywhere else. It is known that he had a perverse sense of humor
in which you can see in Folio 44 of his Codex Arundel where he had a long list of synonyms for
penis. He was also a big animal lover. He had many sketches of horses and dogs. So it didn’t
come to a surprise that he was a vegetarian. He also had a bad reputation for not finishing things.
It’s been recorded that he has started dozens of projects and never finished them.
Leonardo da Vinci’s temperament involved having tons of energy. He was also known
for being very impulsive. He craved thrill, excitement, and speed. He was ambitious and
industrious. Da Vinci was a great, creative problem solver. Many like to think that it’s because of
his temperament that he was successful.
He was born to Ser Piero da Vinci and Caterina. It was never known the last name of his
mother. He was considered an “illegitimate” son because his parents were not married at the time
of his birth. His mother wed another man when Da Vinci was very young. After his father
married into a wealthy family, he went to live with his grandparents. Years had passed when Ser
Piero realized that his wife could not have children. Leonardo was then taken into his father’s
house to be raised and educated. Leonardo had seventeen half­siblings from both his mom and
dad’s side. His uncle, Francesco, was also known to help raise him.

Leonardo da Vinci lived in a period of time called the Renaissance. It was most known
for its rebirth of art, music, education, science, and literature. It is said that this period was
dominated by Michaelangelo, Raphael Sanzio, and Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci was considered
to be the ultimate “Renaissance Man” for his many talents and his expression of classical values.
Leonardo’s “Mona Lisa”, “The Virgin of the Rocks”, and “The Last Supper” were all created
during the Renaissance.
Perhaps the most significant piece Leonardo da Vinci produced was the “Mona Lisa”. It
was painted sometime between 1503 and 1506. Da Vinci used oil painting on wood to create this
masterpiece. He used a painting technique called ​
sfumato​
which involves “the smooth, almost
imperceptible, transition from one colour to another, by means of ultra­subtle tonal gradations.”
It’s already considered one of the greatest paintings in the whole world. Even if you’re
not a fan of art, you already know what the “Mona Lisa” is and most likely who painted it. A lot
of people go the Louvre, the museum where it showcases the painting, just to see the famous
“Mona Lisa”. I think the reason behind its popularity is the mystery behind the subject’s smile.
Whenever I see an image of the “Mona Lisa” I am left with a feeling of confusion.
Depending on the direction you look at her, her facial expression seems to change. I am left with
a sense of mystery. It is said that Da Vinci had singers, clowns, and bell­ringers to entertain the
woman in the painting but, is that the reason behind her half­smile? Da Vinci used techniques
that, when you look at it, her smile seems to disappear.
One of the principles that Leonardo da Vinci used on the “Mona Lisa” is proportion. The
objects in the background are a lot smaller than the woman. It places an emphasis on the
subject’s body. Her body language is one of the reasons for the painting’s fame. Contrast is

another principle used in this painting. You can see contrast throughout the portrait. The dark
colors in Lisa’s hair and the light colors in the sky really highlight the subject’s face. One
principle that really stands out in the portrait is unity. It is created by the repetition of colors in
the background.
Leonardo da Vinci was known to use neutral tones in his paintings. He used sfumato
which made outlines kind of hazy. He also used heavy symbolism to tell you the story of his
subjects. He was found of using chiaroscuro in which he uses high contrast. He would often
feature mystical backgrounds in his paintings rather than painting a traditional Italian
background due to his fascination with nature.